Lifting my heavily-lidded eyes to peer up through the haze of government forms and procedures, I peek at the calendar, which today said: April 17.

(If any of the above sounded slightly poetic, that’s the coffee talking; I’m a Des Moines tax accountant, after all.)

Yes, today is an extremely busy day for us here at Team Hartz — it’s the day before the big deadline (Tax Day = Tuesday, April 18th, 2017). But as I am a person of ritual, I’m still taking the time to write to you on this, of all days. (Though you are likely to be actually receiving it later in the week, depending on how this day goes!)

It’s been a great tax season — and for us, it’s not really ever over.

Yes, we will have a respite because individual filing (and a slew of other things) are due tomorrow, but we don’t take the same kind of extended vacation of which many of our colleagues avail themselves upon tax season’s completion.

But this week gives me the chance to say (again): We are extremely grateful for your trust, and all of the other Des Moines area families we got to meet with this year for tax preparation.

It’s always been our hope that we take a process that is so painful and time-consuming (with so much waste), and convert it into a profitable enterprise (for YOU) through smart tax preparation and planning and in overall financial coaching for our clients. We’re proud to say that we have seen those good stories this year, as we’ve continued to grow on the strength of your referrals.

I won’t be sharing strategic personal financial wisdom today (I hope you’ll forgive our needing to stay focused), but I would like to make one last request:

If you have filed your taxes with us would you…

A) Write something of your experience for people to know about in the future? Yelp and Google seem to be the place where many Des Moines people are looking these days, and your words there would mean a great deal…

(And if for some reason you weren’t satisfied with our service, please write me back personally. I will do everything within my power to make it right, and will make it a priority, even this week.)

Here’s something you could post on your profile, if so inclined:“I had my taxes prepared by Ann Hartz’s team, and had a great experience. And even now, they’re willing to review your tax return to make sure that everything was done right for you … Give them a call at: (515) 259-7779 and let them know I told you to call.”
Or some such… thanks again.

I will end by saying this: I have been reminded, once again, this year: YOU are what makes this nation great. No matter what the politicians may want to take credit for, it’s people like you — the quiet ones who might not ever show up on the roll calls of any Forbes list, but who are doing so many incredible things (that WE get to see!) — who are responsible for any greatness that we might claim as a nation.

What a privilege it is to serve you. To know you. We are all so grateful.